Apparatuses and methods for mounting displays

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses for mounting a display, including flat panel television (FPD) or similar display devices. A base object is mounted to a base member with at least two joints for rotatable coupling, each joint near an opposite end of the base member. A FPD is mounted to a mounting member with at least two joints for rotatable coupling, each joint near an opposite end of the mounting member. At least two arms, a first arm member with a first end coupled to the first joint of the base member and a second end coupled to the first joint of the mounting member, and a second arm with a first end coupled to the second joint of the base member and a second end coupled to the second end of the mounting member. Other embodiments of the invention are further described herein.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to provisional application No.60/796,048, filed on May 1, 2006. The provisional application in itsentirety is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a mechanical mountdevice, and more specifically to a mount for flat panel televisionsdisplay or other similar display device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flat panel display televisions (FPD) have reached a price point wherethey are becoming popular. FPDs come in a range of sizes and areassociated with a range of weights. Comparing to traditional cathode raytube electronic display devices, FPDs are generally much lighter inweight. FPDs are generally displayed on a stand or mounted on animmovable or fixed object such as a wall or a column. The trend is tomount these flat panel TVs on walls so they resemble paintings orphotographs. However, a common problem with mounting FPDs on the wall isthat the direction in which the wall faces is not always the directionin which a user views the FPD screen. Depending on the layout of theroom or location of the viewer, the viewing angle of the FPD screen maybe less than optimal.

One solution is a bracket designed to mount on a wall with an armextending outward from the bracket and the wall. The FPD is mounted ontothe arm via another joint. The joints at each end of the arm allow theTV and arm to move and rotate so the FPD can be adjusted to an optimalviewing angle. However the range of movement of the TV and the arm islimited by the size of the TV and the length of the arm. If the TV istoo big, the sides of the TV will simply hit the wall in any rotationalmovement. Furthermore, if the TV is heavy, the joints' strength and thearm strength should be large enough to sustain the force and momentcreated by the TV. Since the joints and the arm are critical, failure ofeither may lead to catastrophic results. This method works as long asthe material and joints are strong. Consequently this may also lead tohigh production costs of the mount.

A better solution is proposed in this disclosure discloses a displaymounting device using a novel design that provides a large range ofmotion and has sufficient strength to carry a large amount of weight.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

FIGS. 1A-1D illustrate different views of a mounting member inaccordance to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate different views of a base member in accordance toan embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate two different side views of the display mountingdevice with a flat panel television display (FPD) mounted against awall, in accordance to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 3C-3D illustrate a top view and a side view of an arm memberrespectively, in accordance to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate two different perspective views of a FPD on amounting member pivotally rotating about two different ends of the basemember in accordance to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate two different frontal views of a FPD on amounting member pivotally rotating about two different ends of the basemember, corresponding to FIGS. 4A and 4B, respectively;

FIGS. 5C-5H illustrate cross-sectional views of the joints shown in FIG.5A;

FIGS. 5I-5N illustrate cross-sectional views of the joints shown in FIG.5B;

FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate different top views of the FPD on a mountingmember rotating about a base member attached to a wall at differentangles in accordance to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7A-7J illustrate multiple different views of a joint that can beused to connect an arm member to a mounting member and/or a base memberin accordance to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate different views of two different mounting membersin accordance to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate different views of two different base members inaccordance to an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 10A-10D illustrate different side views of two different displaymounting devices with a FPD mounted against the wall in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate different perspective and side views of anotherdifferent display mounting device in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIGS. 12A-12C illustrate different perspective views of a cabinet withdoors mounted on a similar hinge system as illustrated on displaymounting devices described in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate different frontal views of a door on a framewith a similar hinge system as illustrated on display mounting devicesdescribed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Described herein are methods and apparatuses for mounting, and morespecifically mounting of a flat panel television or similar displaydevices. In one embodiment, a base object is mounted to a base memberwith at least two joints for rotatable coupling, each joint near anopposite end of the base member. A FPD is mounted to a mounting memberwith at least two joints for rotatable coupling, each joint near anopposite end of the mounting member. At least two arms, a first armmember with a first end coupled to the first joint of the base memberand a second end coupled to the first joint of the mounting member, anda second arm with a first end coupled to the second joint of the basemember and a second end coupled to the second end of the mountingmember.

In another embodiment, a base member is configured to mount against abase object and having at least two joints for rotatable coupling. Afirst joint of the base member is near one end of the base member, and asecond joint of the base member is near a second end of the base member.The first joint of the base member is positioned at an offset from thesecond joint of the base member so they are not directly aligned. Amounting member is configured to mount to a display. The mounting memberhas at least two joints for rotatable coupling. A first joint of themounting member is near a first end of the mounting member and a secondjoint of the mounting member is near a second end of the mountingmember. The first joint of the mounting member is positioned at anoffset relative to the second joint of the mounting member so they arenot directly aligned. At least two arms are used to connect the mountingmember and the base member. A first arm has one end coupled to the firstjoint of the base member and a second end coupled to the first joint ofthe mounting member. A second arm has one end coupled to the secondjoint of the base member and a second end coupled to the second end ofthe mounting member.

In one embodiment, the display mounting device has a first mountingmember capable being mounted to a fixed object; a second mounting membercapable of being mounted to a display; and at least two arm member, eacharm member having a first end and a second end, wherein, a first end ofa first arm member is coupled to a first joint near a first end of thefirst mounting member and a second end of the first arm member iscoupled to a second joint near a second end of the second mountingmember; and a first end of a second arm member is coupled to a firstjoint near a second end of the first mounting member and a second end ofthe second arm member is coupled to a second joint near a first end ofthe second mounting member.

In yet another embodiment, the display mounting device has a firstmounting member configured to mount against a fixed object on a backside, the first mounting member having 2 joints, each of the two jointsare placed near an opposite end of the first mounting member at anoffset apart; a second mounting member configured to mount against adisplay on a front side, the second mounting member having two joints,each of the two joints are placed near an opposite end of the secondmounting member at an offset apart; and at least two arms, each armhaving a first end and a second end, each of the at least two armscoupling one joint on the second mounting member to one joint on thefirst mounting member, wherein the second mounting member overlaps thefirst mounting member in a neutral position and the second mountingmember and a first arm is configured to rotated about a first end of thefirst mounting member, and the second mounting member and a second armis configured to rotate about a second end of the second mountingmember.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for mounting a display against anobject, for example, a flat panel television display (FPD) against awall are described herein. In the following description, numerousdetails are set forth. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art, that the present invention may be practiced without thesespecific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devicesnot shown in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, theappearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or“in another embodiment” or “in a different embodiment” etc., in variousplaces throughout this specification are not necessarily all referringto the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments.

In one embodiment, the term “joint” is used herein to refer to a pointfor connecting two members so the two members may move or rotaterelative to each other. “Joint” should be construed broadly to includeany hinge joint, ball joint, pin joints or the like that allow twomembers to be coupled, while allowing movement relative to each other.Thus “Joint” is broadly construed as the point of attachment of twomembers which may at least rotatably move about each other.

In one embodiment, the term “arm member” is used herein to refer to amember with two ends, each end connected to a joint. Each “arm member”may be of any shape, size, form in between the two ends and may be madeof any material as deemed appropriate by one with ordinary skills in theart to accomplish its functional objective. For example, an “arm member”may be a flat, straight metal rod with holes on each end for couplingwith hinge joints.

In one embodiment, the terms “base member” or “mounting member” are usedherein to refer to a member that may both attaches to an object andmovably coupled to an “arm member”, allowing the “arm member” to movefreely relative to the member.

In one embodiment, the term “base object” or “fixed object” is usedherein interchangeably to refer to an object which is used to providestability and act as a stable base when mounted to a base member. The“base object” or “fixed object” may include a wall, a column, animmovable object, a fixed object or any object which can substantiallycounter the weight of a flat panel display television (FPD) or any otherdisplay object when it is mounted onto the mounting member. The “baseobject” is mounted against the base member to provide stability whenmoving a display on a mounting member relative to the base member. Incertain embodiments, the base object may be a portion of a door frame.

A display mounting device described herein includes at least a mountingmember to mount a display, a base member to mount to a base object, andat least two arm members to connect the mounting member to the basemember. A unique feature of the display mounting device is that once thedisplay is mounted on the apparatus on a base object, such as the wall,the display can freely move from a neutral position to pivotally rotateabout a vertical axis at a left end of the base member or to pivotallyrotate about a vertical axis at a right end of the base member. This canbe performed without disconnecting any joints in the structure. While adisplay can be a painting, a sculpted piece of art or any form of anobject for display, a flat panel television panel (FPD) will be used inthis description for exemplary purpose and should not be construed to berestrictive. Similarly, a base object can be any object that can providestability to the FPD and the display mounting device such as a wall, acolumn, a frame, a stand, or any object that is substantially heavierthan the FPD. In this description, the use of a wall or a column shallbe used for purpose of illustration and should not be construed to berestrictive.

FIGS. 1A to 1D illustrate different views of a mounting member 100 inaccordance to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 1A to 1D are theback view, front view, side view (from the right side) and a perspectiveview of a mounting member 100, respectively. FIGS. 1C and 1D provide twoclear views of the unique geometry of the mounting member 100. In viewFIGS. 1A to 1D, even though the mounting member 100 is one continuouspiece, one can view the uniform piece as having three differentportions: a top member 110, a bottom member 120, and a displayattachment member or “X” cross-member 130 where the FPD attaches, andconnects the mounting member top 110 to the mounting member bottom 120.As illustrated in FIG. 1C, through the voids 140 or milled out sectionsof the display attachment member 130, bolts 190 are used to securelyattach a front side of the mounting member 100 against the back of theFPD.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the details of the mounting member 100 asviewed from the back and the front of the mounting member, respectively.All references to left and right are directed from a view from the frontof the mounting member 100. Therefore, in a view from the back, left andright as referenced will be reverse of what is seen on the page.

In viewing FIGS. 1A and 1B, the top and bottom members 110, 120 are eachshaped like a “U” on its side, with the “base” of the “U” facing thefront and the “top” of the “U” facing the back. Each of the top memberand the bottom member may be seen as divided into top pieces and bottompieces. Specifically, mounting member top 110 may be seen as dividedinto a top half 110T and a bottom half 110B. Similarly, mounting memberbottom 120 can be divided into a top half 120T and a bottom half 120B.Distinction of each of the upper half of the mounting member top 110Tand the mounting member bottom 110B are used to identify the locationsat which the arm members are attached. In this embodiment, a left hole115L is on the top half 110T of the mounting member top 110 and a righthole 115R is on the mounting bottom half 110B of the mounting member top110. A right hole 125R is on the top half 120T of mounting member bottom120 and a left hole 125L is on the bottom half 120B of the mountingmember bottom 120. In one embodiment, the horizontal distance betweenthe two holes on the mounting member top 110 is same as the horizontaldistance between the two holes on the mounting member bottom 120 as allthe arm members used to connect the base member to the mounting member100 are of the same length. It should be appreciated that in thisparticular embodiment, four arm members (as to be illustrate below) areused to attach the mounting member 100 to the base member.

In this embodiment, placement of the holes to form joints are arbitrary,so long as there are two holes on each of the mounting member top 110and the mounting member bottom 120, one for each end of an arm. Inaddition, the two holes on each mounting member top 110 or mountingmember bottom 120 are at opposite ends, and there should be a verticaloffset between the two holes on each mounting member top 110 andmounting member bottom 120. In other words, a different embodiment canhave a hole near a right end on top half 110T of the mounting member top110 and a hole near a left end on bottom half 110B of the mountingmember top 110. The two holes on the mounting member top 110 areindependent of the two holes on the mounting member bottom 120, so longas the two holes on the mounting member top are aligned with the holethat is on the same side of the mounting member bottom 120 and separatedby a same horizontal distance as the two holes on the mounting memberbottom 120.

FIGS. 1C and 1D, the side view and the perspective view, respectively,illustrate another unique feature in this embodiment. The cross-member130 is attached to the mounting member top 110 and the mounting memberbottom 120 near the “top” of the “U”, or at the back side of themounting member top 110 and the mounting member bottom 120. Thisparticular attachment of the cross-member 130 places the back of the FPDas close to the base member and the wall as possible, thus minimizingspace between the FPD and the wall and provide a more elegant placementof the FPD on the wall.

An additional feature of this mounting member is that the arm membersand part of the base member fits into the recesses between top half 110Tand bottom half 110B of the mounting member top 110 and between the tophalf 120T and bottom half 120B of the mounting member bottom 120. Thecombination of these two features allows the display mounting device tobe discreet while allowing the FPD to be as near the wall as possible,thus creating a visual effect where the FPD is like a picture hangingfrom the wall. This embodiment of the mounting member 100 takesadvantage of the space near the edges and behind the FPD screenunoccupied by the back of the FPD for placement of arm members. Inanother embodiment, speakers may be mounted on the side, top or bottomof the mounting member. In yet another embodiment, a shelf or ledge orthe like used to hold the remote control or user accessories for the FPDmay be attached to the bottom of the mounting member or be built-in aspart of the mounting member 100. Since the mounting member can rotateabout two different axes near opposite ends of the base member, themounting member and the base member can have predetermined sides, suchas a predetermined right side, a predetermined left side, apredetermined bottom, and a predetermined top. This allows a designer tocreate features, such as a shelf on the predetermined bottom to act as a“mantle” or shelf for remote controls, etc.

Yet another embodiment has the movement or rotation of the mountingmember motorized. In other words, the rotation of the mounting membercan be controlled by a remote control via a control mechanism and amotor which drives the movement of the mounting member in rotating toeither the left or right sides.

In one embodiment, the mounting member is preferably made of steel. Butthe mounting member may be made of any metal, metal alloy, polymer, oreven plastic, provided that the material can withstand a substantialload, such as the load of a FPD. Since FPD ranges in sizes from 15″ toover 65″ and weighs from the range of about 30 lb to over 150 lbs,metal, in particular steel, is the preferred material of choice.

FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate different views of a base member 200 inaccordance to an embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 2A to 2D illustratea frontal view, a back view, a side view, and a perspective view of abase member, respectively. Similar to the mounting member, the one-piecebase member may be viewed as having separate portions: base member top210, base member bottom 220, and a support structure 230. In thisembodiment, voids or slots 240 are milled into the base member top 210and base member bottom 220 for attachment to the wall. In particular, atleast 3 slots are made on each of the base member top 210 and basemember bottom 220 to account for attachment to studs on the wall. Thevoids or slots have an elongated shape to provide flexibility forattaching the base member to the wall in cases where studs are notplaced at a same distance a part. The support structure 230 serves toalign the base member top 210 to the base member bottom 220 and may alsoprovide torsional support for the base member 200. In a differentembodiment, the support structure used to connect the base member top210 to the base member bottom 220 may be used as points of attachment tothe wall. It should be appreciated that FPDs has sizes ranging at leastfrom about 15″ to about 80″ and weighs in the range of about 30 lbs toabout 300 lb. Therefore, depending on the size of the FPD, the basemember should be attached to at least two studs if the FPD is at least20″ and weighs at least 50 lbs and should be attached to at least 3studs if the FPD is at least 40″ and weighs at least 100 lbs forsupport.

One should appreciate that while the cross-member 230 provides torsionalsupport and helps to align the base member top 210 and base memberbottom 220, only the portions of the base member for attaching arms tothe base member and the portions of the base member to attach the basemember to the wall are necessary. Therefore, potentially, the one-piecebase member as shown may be replaced by 2 pieces including only the basemember top 210 and base member bottom 220 in one embodiment, or replacedby 4 pieces including only the four portions near the four corners ofthe base member 200, in another embodiment. In either of these last twoembodiments, proper alignment of the pieces will be essential to connectwith the arms and the mounting member.

FIG. 2A to 2C show that the base member top 210 and base member bottom220 each has a right angle with portions 210H and 220H pointing awayfrom the wall. FIG. 2A to 2D also illustrate four holes, two on each of210H and 220H respectively, where the joints to the arm members areformed. As described earlier, the arm members and part of the basemember top 210 and base member bottom 220 fits into the recesses in themounting member top 110 and mounting member bottom 120 respectively.Specifically, portions 210H, 220H and their respectively attached armmembers are designed to fit into mounting member top 110 and mountingmember bottom 120, respectively.

FIGS. 2A to 2D also illustrate that holes 215R and 215L on the basemember top are vertically aligned with holes 225R and 225L respectivelyand thus having a same horizontal distance between the correspondingpair of holes. It should be appreciated that the two pairs of holes215R, 215L and 225R and 225L are drilled on the same level without avertical offset. However, it will be appreciated that the verticaloffset is obvious when the arms are both mounted on a top surface andbottom surface of 210H and 220H. Consequently, after attaching the armsto the top surface and the bottom surface, the two joints are offsetessentially by the thickness of the member 210H and 220H. This will beapparent in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. In yet another embodiment, the slots 240for attachment need not be horizontally placed long voids, but may bevertical holes or voids on vertical members attaching the base membertop 210 to the base member bottom 220. In one embodiment, the basemember is preferably made of steel. But the base member may be made ofany metal, metal alloy, polymer, or even plastic, provided that thematerial can withstand a substantial load, such as the load of a FPD. Asexplained earlier, metal, in particular steel, is the preferred materialof choice. In addition, the base member may be mounted over a mechanismwhich allows translational motion, up, down, left and/or rightmovements. Such a mechanism will first be attached to the wall and thebase member mounted over the mechanism. Furthermore, such a mechanismmay be motorized, such that it can be controlled by remote control.Therefore, the FPD on the display mounting device attached to such amechanism may be able to move up, down, left and/or right at a touch ofa button and controlled by a viewer.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate two different side views of the FPD attachedto the display mounting device using mounting member 100 and base member200 as described in FIGS. 1A-1D and 2A-2D, against a wall. FIG. 3A is aview from the left side of the FPD and FIG. 3B is a view from the rightside of the FPD, both views are of the FPD and the display mountingdevice in a neutral position mounted on a wall. It may be appreciatedthat the mounting member 100 and the base member 200 are fitted intoeach other. Specifically, portion 210H and 220H of the base member 200is fitted into the recesses between 110T and 110B and between 120T and120B of the mounting member 100 respectively. Note also that the back302 of the FPD is placed closer to the wall because the back of the FPD302 is attached to the attachment member 130 which is recessed close tocross member 230. It should be reminded that a top, bottom, left, andright views of the display mounting device is defined by the neutralposition when the FPD is attached to the display mounting device whichin turn is mounted to the wall. The wall defines the back side, the FPDdefines the front side, the floor defines bottom and the ceiling of aroom defines the top.

FIGS. 3A and 3B also shows the locations of attachment of arms members310, 320, 330 and 340 from a view from the left and from the rightrespectively. One should appreciate that the attachment configuration,or joint locations, of arm members 310-340 to the mounting member 100and to the base member 200 may differ than illustrated. In thisembodiment, arm member 310 is attached on a top surface of 210H (FIG.3B) and a bottom surface of 110T (FIG. 3A). Arm member 320 is attachedon a top surface of 110B (FIG. 3B) and a bottom surface of 210H (FIG.3A). Arm member 330 is attached on a bottom surface of 120T (FIG. 3B)and a top surface of 220H (FIG. 3A). Arm member 340 is attached on a topsurface of 120B (FIG. 3B) and a bottom surface of 220H (FIG. 3A). Whilethe attachment configuration of the arms may differ, the unique featureof this embodiment is to take advantage of the space directly above andbelow the back of the FPD 302 for placement of the arm members, topermit the FPD to be closer to the wall.

FIGS. 3C and 3D illustrate the side view and the top view of an armmember 300. Each arm member 300 has two holes near each opposite end,one for attachment to the mounting member and another for attachment tothe base member. It should be appreciated that for each arm, each end ofthe arm is attached to a different member. For example, if the left hole395L is attached to the mounting member, the right hole 395R should beattached to the base member, and vice versa. It is clear that both holesof the member cannot be attached to the same member. In one embodiment,all arm members have a same distance 391 between a left hole 395L and aright hole 395R. While this embodiment shows the arm member to be a flatpiece, with a flat center section 393 and flat end sections 392 and 394,the shape and geometry of the arm member may differ according to theapplication. In the embodiment of a display mounting device asillustrated, the flat arm member is used to reduce vertical space aboutthe top and bottom portions of the mounting member and the base member.In another embodiment, the arm may have flat end sections 392 and 394but with a mid section 393 that is twisted 90 degrees from the endsections to accommodate for the geometry of the mounting piece or theapplication in which the arm member and the hinge joint is used. In apreferred embodiment, the arm members are made of metal or metal alloy,preferably steel. The arm members should be able to withstand hightension and high compression generated by the weight of the FPD whenmounted onto the mounting member. However, with advance of materialscience, other materials such as polymer, plastic or non-metals may alsobe possible, but cost may be prohibitive.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate perspective views of a FPD mounted onto adisplay mounting device that is attached to the wall. FIG. 4A shows theFPD pivotally rotated about a left end of the base member while FIG. 4Bshows the FPD pivotally rotate about the right end of the base member.One should appreciate that the unique hinge system used in this displaymounting device allows the FPD on a mounting member 100 to bothpivotally rotate about the left end 492 of the base member and topivotally rotate about the right end 494 of the base member. When theFPD is in a neutral position, the FPD is mounted with its back on thedisplay mounting device flat against the wall. In one configuration, theFPD can pivotally rotate to the left as in FIG. 4A to accommodate adifferent view angle from the left. In another configuration, the FPDcan pivotally rotate to the right as in FIG. 4B to accommodate for adifferent view angle from the right. The unique pivoting ability of thisdisplay mounting device is particularly applicable for placement at alocation where the FPD may be viewable from different angles.

FIGS. 4A and 4B also illustrate the unique arm member movements as theFPD pivots about a left end 492 of the base member and pivots about aright end 494 of the base member. One should be aware that while a firstset of arm members (320, 330) move with the mounting member 100 when themounting member 100 pivotally rotate to the left, a second set of armmembers (310, 340) stays with the base member 200 (see FIG. 4A). Incontrast, the second set of arm members (310, 340) move with themounting member 100 when the mounting member 100 pivotally rotate to theright, the first set of arm members (310, 340) stays with the basemember 200 (see FIG. 4B). FIGS. 5A-5N shall illustrate the exactplacements of the joints where the arm members 310-340 attach to themounting member 100 and the base member 200. FIGS. 5A and 5B alsodistinguish the arm members that pivot with the mounting member 100 whenthe FPD swings to the left or the right.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the frontal views of the display mounting devicewhen the FPD is pivotally rotated toward the left and toward the right,respectively. FIGS. 5A and 5B are similar to FIGS. 4A and 4B,respectively. FIGS. 5A and 5B shows the frontal view of the FPD rotatedto the left and to the right respectively. Therefore, FIGS. 5A and 5Bshow the frontal view of the base member 200 and the back view of themounting member 100 respectively. The difference between FIGS. 5A and 5Bis that in FIG. 5A, the mounting member 100 with FPD 101 is to the leftof the base member 200 on the wall 303, and in FIG. 5B, the mountingmember 100 with FPD is to the right of the base member 200 on the wall303.

In the following descriptions regarding FIGS. 5A and 5B, left and rightare referred to according to the frontal views of both the mountingmember 100 and the base member 200 (see FIGS. 1A, 1D and FIGS. 2A, 2D),therefore left and right of the mounting member 100 would be reversedwhen viewed from the back (as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B)

FIG. 5A shows a FPD 301 mounting onto a mounting member 100 pivotallyrotated to the left of the base member 200 which is mounted onto a wall303 or column. It should be noted that the mounting member 100 is nowviewed from its back with the FPD 301 mounted on its front side. Armmember 310 has its right end attached near the right end on the topsurface of 210H of the base member and its left end attached near theleft end on the bottom surface of 110T of the mounting member 100; armmember 320 has its left end attached on a bottom surface of 210H of thebase member 200 and its right end attached near the right end on the topsurface of 110B of the mounting member 100. Similarly, arm member 330has its right end attached near the right end on the bottom surface of120T of the mounting member 100 and its left end attached near the leftend on the top surface of 220H of the base member 200; arm member 340has its left end attached on a left end on a top surface of 120T of themounting member 100 and its right end attached near the right end on thebottom surface of 220H of the base member 200.

FIGS. 5C to 5H illustrate the cross sectional view of the joints or armmembers attachments to various locations of the mounting member 100 andthe base member 200 as the mounting member 100 is pivotally rotatedtoward the left as shown in FIG. 5A. FIG. 5C shows the attachment of arm320 near a right end on a top surface of 110T as viewed from the rightside of the mounting member. FIG. 5D shows the attachment of arm 310onto a bottom surface near a left end of 110T and the attachment of arm320 near a left end onto a bottom surface of 21OH, as viewed from theleft side of the mounting member 100 and the base member 200. FIG. 5Eshows the arm member 310 attached near a right end onto a top surface of210H as viewed from the right. FIG. 5F shows arm member 330 attachednear a right end onto bottom surface of 120T as viewed from the right.FIG. 5G shows arm member 330 attached near a left end onto a top surfaceof 220H and arm member 340 attached near a left end onto a top surfaceof 120B as viewed from the left. FIG. 5H shows arm member 340 attachednear a right end onto a bottom surface of 220H as viewed from the rightside of the mounting member 100 and the base member 200.

Note that a first pair of arm members 310 and 320 and a second pair ofarm members 330 and 340, and their respective attachments to themounting member 100 and the base member 200, form two similar butindependent hinge systems. In one embodiment, two pairs of similar butindependent hinge systems are used, one pair on top and one pair onbottom to provide an equal balance of loads and forces on the arms. Eachhinge system by itself is capable of the unique feature to pivotallyrotate a mounting member to the left in one configuration and to theright in another configuration. Furthermore, it should be noted that armmembers 320 and 330 are rotated to the left along with the mountingmember 100. Thus, the joint joining the arm member 320 near a left endon the bottom surface of 210H and the joint joining the arm member 330near a left end on the top surface of 220H are responsible for the leftpivotally rotating movement. One should appreciate that while in thisembodiment, arm members 320 and 330 with their left ends attached to theleft ends of 21OH and 220H are points of pivot for the mounting member110, a different configuration is also possible. For example, analternate embodiment, right end of arm member 310 may be attached near aright end onto a bottom surface of 110T with a left end of arm member310 attached near a left end onto a top surface of 210H and right end ofarm 340 may be attached near a right end onto a bottom surface of 220Twith a left end of arm member 340 attached near a left end onto a topsurface of 220H for the mounting member 100 to rotate about the basemember 200.

To summarize, a first end of a first arm is connected to a first end ofthe mounting member and a second end of the first arm is connected to afirst end of the fixed member; a first end of a second arm is connectedto a second end of the mounting member and a second end of the secondarm is connected to the second end of the fixed member. When rotatingthe mounting member about the first end of the fixed member, the firstarm connected to a first end of the mounting member will move with themounting member about the first end of the fixed member while the secondarm remains fixed with the fixed member. When rotating the mountingmember about the second end of the fixed member, the second armconnected to the second end of the fixed member will move with themounting member as the mounting member rotates, while the first arm willremain fixed with the fixed member.

FIG. 5B shows a FPD 301 mounting onto a mounting member 100 pivotallyrotated to the right of the base member 200 which is mounted onto a wall303 or column. It should be noted that the mounting member 100 is nowviewed from its back and so the left and right of the mounting member100 is reversed similar as in FIG. 5A. Arm member 310 has its left endattached near the left end on the bottom surface of 110T of the mountingmember 100 and its right end attached near the right end on the topsurface of 210H of the base member 200; arm member 320 has its left endattached on a bottom surface of 210H of the base member 200 and itsright end attached near the right end on the top surface of 110B of themounting member 100. Similarly, arm member 330 has its right endattached near the right end on the bottom surface of 120T of themounting member 100 and its left end attached near the left end on thetop surface of 220H of the base member 200; arm member 340 has its leftend attached on a left end on a top surface of 120B of the mountingmember 100 and its right end attached near the right end on the bottomsurface of 220H of the base member 200.

FIGS. 5I to 5N illustrate the cross sectional view of the joints or armattachments to various locations of the mounting member 100 and the basemember 200 as the mounting member 100 is pivotally rotated toward theright as shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 5I shows the attachment of arm 320 neara left end onto a bottom surface of 210H of the base member as viewedfrom the left of the base member 200. FIG. 5J shows the attachment ofarm 310 onto a top surface near a right end of 210H and attachment ofarm 320 near a right end onto a top surface of 110B, as viewed from theright of the mounting member 100 and the base member 200. FIG. 5K showsthe arm member 310 attached near a left end onto a bottom surface of110T as viewed from the left. FIG. 5L shows arm member 330 attached neara left end onto top surface of 220H as viewed from the left. FIG. 5Mshows arm member 330 attached near a right end onto a bottom surface of120T and arm member 340 attached near a right end onto a bottom surfaceof 220H as viewed from the right. FIG. 5N shows arm member 340 attachednear a left end onto a top surface of 120B as viewed from the left.

In FIG. 5B, arm members 310 and 320 and arm members 330 and 340, formtwo similar but separate pairs of hinge systems, similar to FIG. 5A. Asdescribed, two parallel and similar hinge systems are used to provide anequal balance of loads and forces on the arms. Each pair of hinge systemis capable of the unique feature to pivotally rotate a mounting memberto the left in one configuration and to the right in anotherconfiguration. In contrast to FIG. 5A, it should be noted that in FIG.5B, arm members 310 and 340 are rotated to the right along with themounting member 100. Thus, the joint joining the arm member 310 near aright end on the top surface of 210H and the joint joining the armmember 340 near a right end on the bottom surface of 220H areresponsible for the right pivotally rotating movement. One shouldappreciate that a different configuration is also possible for thereason as described above.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show a top view of the display mounting device and theranges in which the mounting member can rotate as mounted on a flat wallor a column. FIG. 6A illustrates a FPD mounted on the wall using adisplay mounting device. In one configuration, FPD is capable ofrotating at an angle of 630, about 90 degrees, when the mounting member610L is pivotally rotated to the left. In a second configuration, FPD iscapable of rotating at an angle of 630, about 90 degrees, when themounting member 610R is pivotally rotated to the right. The ranges ofrotation in both of the configurations are limited by the wall and theFPD thickness (distance as measured from the screen of the FPD to theback of the FPD).

FIG. 6B illustrates a FPD mounted on the column using a display mountingdevice. The column will generally have a width that is less than thewidth of the display mounting device, as measured from a left end of thedevice to the right end of the device. Theoretically, in oneconfiguration, the FPD is capable of rotating at an angle of 650, about270 degrees when the mounting member 610L is pivotally rotated to theleft. In a second configuration, FPD is capable of rotating at an angle650, about 270 degrees, when the mounting member 610R is pivotallyrotated to the right. The limit of the pivotal rotation in eitherconfiguration is limited by the thickness of the FPD and the width ofthe column. If the column is much narrower than the width of the displaymounting device, the FPD and the mounting member can potentially rotatemore than 270 degrees, but if the column is similar to the width of thedisplay mounting device, the FPD and the mounting member may rotate lessthan 270 degrees.

While the display mounting device may theoretically rotate to about 270degrees as described, a factor that may prevent the FPD from rotatingbeyond 90 degrees is the strength of the joints or arm attachments. Whenthe mounting member is rotated past 90 degrees and approaches 180degrees, reinforcement or a change in the design of the arm and/orjoints may be preferred to prevent structural failure. Such a design byusing a mounting member top or mounting member bottom to assist withtransferring the load to the base member top or base member bottom isshown in an embodiment in FIGS. 11A-11C.

FIGS. 7A to 7J illustrate some of the different joints andconfigurations of attachments which are possible between the arms andthe mounting or base members. FIG. 7A illustrates a member 720 attachedto arm 710. Member 720 in this embodiment is similar to the base memberas described in earlier figures. Member 720 has an additional portion725 on the member 720 which may be used to increase the range of pivotalrotation. Additional portion 725 increases the rotation range by movingthe point of pivot further away from the wall. The distance to whichaddition portion 725 moves away from the wall is limited by the distanceor space available for the space where the mounting member and the basemember overlap by taking advantage of the depth of the back of FPD asdescribed earlier.

FIG. 7B shows arms 710A and 710B attached to member 780 which resemblesthe mounting member top and mounting member bottom as described in FIGS.1, 2, 4, 5 etc. Note there is little to no gap between arm members 710Aor 710B and the surfaces of the mounting member 780 to which they areattached. It should be appreciated that both arm members 710A and 710Bare housed inside the recess created by the top piece 780T and thebottom piece 780B in a neutral position when the mounting member is notpivotally rotating about the base member (e.g., FIG. 7B). FIG. 7C showseach arm 710A and 710B rotating outward and there is still little to nogap between either arm members 710A or 710B.

FIGS. 7D to 7H show different joints that are possible for attaching thearm to the member as described in FIGS. 7A to 7C and previously describeembodiments in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. FIG. 7D illustrates an arm 710 flat ontop of member 720. FIG. 7D shows a member with tapped grooves 730 in themember 720 and an arm 710 with a hole 744 having a larger diameter thanthe screw 740. A sleeve 746 with a similar height as thickness of thearm 710 can optionally be inserted in the hole 744 to allow rotationalmovement of the arm 710 about the sleeve. The sleeve 746 and the arm 710are then secured by threading the screw 740, preferably with a flat tophaving a diameter larger than the hole 744, with or without a washer742, through the sleeve 746 into the tapped grooves 730 of the member.This embodiment may result in at least a small gap between the armmembers which are both inside the mounting member 780 as shown in FIG.7B. While a big gap is shown between the arms 710A and 710B insidemounting member 780, the gap can be minimized or eliminated by usingjoint configurations as in at least FIGS. 7D and 7E. Generally, the arm710 and the member 720 as shown may each have a thickness ranging fromabout ⅛″ to about ½″ and thus the screw used will generally have alength ranging from about ¼″ to about 1″ long. Furthermore, the diameterof the screw may range from about ⅛″ to about ½″.

FIG. 7E shows one embodiment of a joint or attachment that may eliminatea gap between arms 710A and 710B as shown in FIG. 7B. An arm 710 isshown on top of a member 720. The arm 710 has tapped grooves 750 and themember 720 has tapped grooves 730. In one embodiment, a screw which islonger than both the thickness of arm 710 and member 720 can becompletely threaded through tapped grooves 750 and into tapped grooves730 for the full thickness of the member 720. The remaining portion ofthe screw which may be protruding from the top of 710 may be cut offflush on the top surface of 710. The result is a cut off screw that isthreaded into both the arm 710 and the member 720. When the armpivotally rotates, it merely follows the thread pattern of the tappedgrooves to thread in or thread out as if the screw is loosening ortightening. In a another embodiment, rather than using a screw and cutof its top portion, a screw 755 having its length similar to thecombined thickness of arm 710 and member 720 and has an indentedhexagonal shape screw top fitting an allen wrench can also be used. Inthis embodiment, the hexagonal headed screw can be removed using anallen wrench as oppose to the cut off screw where the screw, without itsscrew top, cannot be removed easily.

FIGS. 7F and 7G shows an embodiment of arm 710 that may be used incombination with the embodiment of arm attachment as described in FIGS.7D and 7E. FIG. 7F shows a side view of an arm 710 with a screw 764having a flat head and tapered top of the screw. FIG. 7G shows acounter-sink or bored hole 762 where the counter-sunk or bored out areafits the tapering of the flat screw head of screw 764. In other words,this embodiment similarly achieves the objective of reducing protrusionof the screw head above the surface of arm 710. One can apply thiscombination of arm 710 with a bored hole 762 and a screw 764 with eithera tapped grooves in both arm 710 and member 720 as in FIG. 7E or atapped groove only in member 720 as in FIG. 7D.

FIG. 7H illustrates an embodiment wherein a ball joint 759 is used toconnect the arm 710 and the member 720. While the use of a ball jointgives extra movement in a vertical direction this may not be necessary.Similarly, a disadvantage of using a ball joint is that it will lead toa bigger joint. Most importantly, the extra play or movement in thevertical direction in the joint may lead to undesired slack in thesystem when the mounting member is pivotally rotating about the basemember. Nevertheless with the appropriate control of tension andcompression of the arm members, the slack in the ball joint may becontrolled.

FIGS. 7I and 7J illustrate the use of a clevis hinge joint which may beused as a hinge system in the display mounting device. This isillustrated and used extensively in FIGS. 10A to 10D and FIGS. 11A to11C. In essence a clevis hinge joint is a member fitted into an openslot wherein any pin, rivet, or similar device is used to lock themember in place such that the member can freely rotate about the pin, inand out of the slot. In this embodiment, a clevis hinge is a slot member790 shaped like a “U” with a pin or a rivet or a rod 770 connecting thetop piece of the member 790T to the bottom piece of the member 790B withthe arm 710 sandwiched in between. The rivet or pin or rod is securelyfastened or locked onto the top piece 790T and the bottom piece 790B sothat the pin will not slide out. A hole in the arm 710 is formed with adiameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pin or rivet or rod770 of the clevis joint to allow for the arm to pivotally rotate aboutthe pin or rivet or rod 770. It should be appreciated that pin, rivet orrod is merely exemplary and other manners of fastening an arm to aclevis hinge to function in the same manner may also be used. Onebenefit of the use of a clevis joint is that there is extra strength inthe joints. The length of the member 790 that sandwiches the armextending a certain distance from the end of the arm into the midsection of the arm provides extra support to the arm and also strengthto the joint itself. This is slightly different than the joint asdescribed above where the arm is only supported in either a top surfaceor a bottom surface as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 etc and by a bolt or screwonly. While the gap between the arm 710 and the top piece 790T andbottom piece 790B is visible, the gap can be reduced to a minimal byselecting the proper combination of arm thickness and distance betweenthe top piece 790T and bottom piece 790B of the member 790 in forming aclevis hinge.

FIGS. 8A to 8C shows two different embodiments of mounting members. Themounting members used in FIG. 8A to 8C uses a clevis joint as described.FIG. 8A shows the frontal view of a mounting member 800 which is commonto both FIGS. 8B and 8C. FIGS. 8B and 8C shows different configurationsof the clevis joints which on the backside of the mounting member 800with a FPD 801 mounted onto the front side of the mounting member 800.

FIG. 8A shows the front side of mounting member 800 having a mountingmember top 810 and a mounting member bottom 820. The mounting member 800also has an attachment member or cross-member 830 where the back of theFPD is mounted against. The voids or adjustment slots 840 are positionedon the attachment member 830 for screws or bolts to fasten or attach thefront side of the mounting member 800 against the back of the FPD. Itshould be appreciated that if the attachment member does not directlymount onto the back of the FPD, it is common that adaptors provided withthe FPD can be used as an intermediary to attach the FPD to theattachment member. FIGS. 8A and 8B are front and back side of the samemember.

The mounting member 800 share a similar cross-member 830 for attachmentto the back of the FPD as the previously illustrated mounting membershown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 etc., but has three arms each near mountingmember top 810 and mounting member bottom 820 instead of two arms eachas previously illustrated. As viewed from the front in FIG. 8A, areas812 and 822 are where two clevis joints attach to two arm members andareas 814 and 824 are where one clevis joint attaches to one arm member.If viewed from the back in FIG. 8B, it is clear that two clevis joints813A and 813B are located in the area 812 and a single clevis joint 815is located in the area 814. Clevis joints 813A, 813B and 815 are armattachments on the top portion of the mounting member 800. Similarly,two clevis joints 823A and 823B are located in the area 822 and a singleclevis joint 825 is located in area 824 where three arms are attached tothe lower portion of the mounting member 800.

In an alternative embodiment, FIG. 8C shows a back side of a mountingmember with its front side attached to a FPD 801, but has a differentclevis joint placement configuration comparing to mounting membersillustrated in FIG. 8B. The mounting member still has a mounting membertop 810 connected to a mounting member bottom 820 by a cross-member 830with voids or slots 840 in the cross-member 830 for attachment to theback of the FPD 801. However, in this embodiment, instead of havingenlarged areas 812, 822 for two clevis joints each and 814, 824 for oneclevis joint each, there are only two slightly enlarged areas 817, 819near mounting member top 810 and mounting member bottom 820respectively, each having a single clevis joint 813L and 815R,respectively. The concept of this embodiment is that as describedearlier, only one pair of hinged arm system is necessary to permit amounting member to both pivotally rotate about the left end of the basemember and to rotate about the right end of the base member. Thisembodiment contains the minimal number of arms and hinge systems, at thelocations near the top and bottom of the display mounting device to takeadvantage of the space occupied by the back of the FPD between thescreen and the wall. Although this embodiment only requires a two-armedhinged system to perform the function as designed, unless the arms andthe clevis hinge or any other hinged system used in place of the clevisis extremely strong, the strength and stability of the system maybenefit from having additional frame support, which may be in the formof one or more arms and hinges (see FIG. 11A-11C) or may use themounting member top or bottom to support against the base member top orbottom (see FIG. 11).

FIGS. 9A to 9C each illustrates a base member 900 corresponding to themounting members in FIGS. 8A to 8C. FIG. 9A is a back view of the basemember 900, while FIG. 9B is a frontal view of the base member mountingagainst the wall 903 with three clevis hinge joints near each of thebase member top and base member bottom. FIGS. 9A and 9B correspond tothe front back side and front side of one embodiment. FIG. 9C is afrontal view of the base member with one clevis hinge joint near each ofthe base member top and base member bottom, a different configurationcompared to FIG. 9B.

FIG. 9A shows the back view of the base member 900 having a base membertop 910 and a base member bottom 920. FIG. 9A also has enlarged areas912 and 922 near the top and bottom portions of the base member wheretwo arms each are attached and enlarged areas 914 and 924 near the topand bottom portions of the base member where one arm each is attached.Instead of a cross-member used in the previous description of a basemember in FIGS. 2, 4, 5 etc., or in the mounting members describedearlier, this base member has a different configuration using threecolumns or bars 930 connecting the base member top 910 to the basemember bottom 920. Each bar 930 has voids or slots 940, in addition tothe voids and slots in the base member top 910 and base member 920, foradded security in fastening the base member 900 against the wall orfixed object. It should be appreciated that this bar connection may alsobe applied to the mounting member for connecting the mounting member topand the mounting member bottom. In another embodiment, at least onevertical bar may also be slidable to adjust to stud or other buildingmembers behind a wall.

FIG. 9B shows the frontal view of the base member, with its backattached to a wall 903, having three clevis joints each near the top andbottom of the base member. Two clevis hinges 913A and 913B arepositioned in the enlarged area 912 near the top portion of the basemember for attachment to two arms, while one clevis hinge 915 ispositioned in the enlarged area 914 near the top portion of the basemember at an opposite end to area 912 to receive and attach to one arm.Similarly, two clevis hinges 923A and 923B are positioned in theenlarged area 922 near the bottom portion of the base member forattachment to two arms, while one clevis hinge 925 is positioned in theenlarged area 924 near the base member at an opposite end to area 922 toattach to one arm. In combination with the mounting member as describein FIGS. 8A and 8B, a total of six arms, three on the top and three onthe bottom can be used to connect the base member 900 to the mountingmember 800.

FIG. 9C shows the frontal view of the base member corresponding to themounting member in FIG. 8C. This base member, attached to the wall 903,similarly has a base member top 910 and base member bottom 920 connectedby three bars 930 with voids 940 in the bars and on each of the basemember top 910 and base member bottom 920. However, this base member isdesigned only to be connected to two arms, one near the top of the basemember and one near the bottom of the base member. A clevis hinge 913Rcan be found at an enlarged area 917 near the top of the base member andanother clevis hinge 915L can be found in enlarged area 919 near thebottom of the base member. Two arms, one near the top and one near thebottom are used to connect the mounting member to the base member. Asdescribed in FIG. 8C, unless the joint and arms used in thisconfiguration are extremely strong, extra support in the means ofmounting and base member design (see FIGS. 11A to 11C) or adding atleast an arm or more to this minimum number of hinges necessary to carryout the pivotal rotations left and right as described, is preferred.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are left and right side views of the mounting memberof FIGS. 8A and 8B connected to the base member of FIGS. 9A and 9B whenthe FPD and the mounting member is in a neutral position mounted on awall 1003. FIGS. 10A and 10B shows the FPD with its back 1002 mounted tothe attachment member 830 on the mounting member 800 and the base member900 attached to the wall 1003 by screws 1090. The mounting member 800 isattached to the base member 900 via the various clevis joints and thesix (6) arm members 1010-1060. It should be noted that in thisconfiguration, the attachment member 830 is not shown to be recessed asthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 etc. But long as the clevis hinges913A, 913B, 815 near the top on the right side, 813A, 813B, 915 near thetop on the left side and the clevis hinges 923A, 923B, 825 near thebottom on the left side and 823A, 823B, 925 near the bottom on the rightside can be fitted above and below the back of the FPD 1002, having aattachment member 830 is possible. Similarly, FIGS. 10C and 10D showsthe FPD 1001 with its back 1002 mounting to the attachment member 830 onthe mounting member 800 and the base member 900 attached to the wall1003 by screws 1090. The only difference from FIGS. 10A and 10B is that10C and 10D shows a total of 2 arms 1070, 1080 and 4 clevis hinges 813L,815R, 913R and 915L.

FIG. 11A to 11C illustrate another embodiment of a display mountingdevice using clevis hinges (such as shown in FIGS. 7I and 7J that aresimilar to those presented in FIGS. 9 and 10. Each of the clevis hinges1112, 1114, 1116, 1132, 1134, and 1136 maybe the same as the levis hingeshown in FIG. 7J. FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a FPD 1101 on amounting member 1170 of a display mounting device pivotally rotated orturned towards the left with the base member 1190 of the displaymounting device mounted on a wall 1103. FIG. 11B is a perspective viewof the FPD 1101 on the mounting member 1170 of a display mounting devicepivotally rotated or turned towards the right with the base member 1190of the display mounting device mounted on the wall 1103. FIG. 11C is aside view from the right of the display mounting device when the FPD1101 is in a non-rotated, neutral position.

FIG. 11A and 11B show a uniform mounting member 1170 made of a mountingmember top 1110 and a mounting member bottom 1120 with two (2) verticalcolumns or bars 1115R, 1115L connecting the top 1110 and bottom 1120members. Bars 1115R and 1115L are used in the mounting member 1170 forattaching the FPD 1101 to the front side of the mounting member. Threeclevis hinge joints 1112, 1114, and 1116 are rigidly coupled to andlocated on the back side of the mounting member 1170. Each clevis hingejoint in FIGS. 11A and 11B includes a pin which is inserted through ahole in an arm; for example, the clevis hinge joint 1112 includes a pininserted through a hole in arm 1152. Two clevis joints 1114 and 1116 aremounted near the top and near the left end on the back side of themounting member 1170 onto bar 1115L. The single clevis joint 1112 ismounted near the top and near the right end on the back side of themounting member 1170 onto bar 1115R. In this embodiment the clevisjoints are welded, near the top portion of the bars. Therefore, joint1112 is near a right side of the mounting member while joints 1114 and1116 are near a left side of the mounting member 1170. Joints 1114 and1116 are spaced at about twice the offset between 1114 and 1112 and theoffset between 1116 and 1112. When viewed from either side, 1112 issandwiched in the middle with 1114 on top and 1116 on the bottom andeach joint is spaced at a same vertical offset from each other. Each ofthese joints will be rotatably attached to a first end of an arm where asecond end of the arm is rotatably connected to the corresponding clevisjoints mounted on the base member. It should be noted that the joints1114 and 1116 are vertically aligned, and the horizontal distancebetween joints 1114 and 1112 and the horizontal distance between joints1116 and 1112 are the same in this embodiment. The ends of the slottedbodies of the clevis joints 1114 and 1116 where the pin are used toconnect the arm are positioned away from the main body of the mountingmember. Similarly, the slotted body of the clevis joint 1112 where thepin is used to connect the arm is positioned away from the main body ofthe mounting member.

These two (2) bars 1115L and 1115R also have slots or holes 1117 on theattachment sites for attaching a front side of the mounting member 1170onto the back of the FPD 1101. Another configuration of attaching theFPD's back to an adaptor device before attaching to the back of themounting member is also possible. The mounting member 1170 also has four(4) notches 1181, 1183, 1185, 1187 at the top right, bottom right, topleft, and bottom left corner of the mounting member 1170 (as viewed fromthe front of the mounting member). These four notches are mated to theknobs 1182, 1184, 1186 and 1188, respectively, which are on the basemember 1190. The notches and knobs provide releaseable rotational jointsto provide more stable and secure rotation and provide more support forthe weight of an FPD.

FIG. 11A and 11B also illustrate a base member 1190 made of a basemember top 1130 and base member bottom 1140 with three (3) verticalcolumns or bars 1135R, 1135M, 1135L connecting the top 1130 and bottom1140 members. Three clevis hinge joints 1132, 1134, and 1136 are rigidlycoupled to and located on the front side of the base member 1190. Twoclevis joints 1134 and 1136 are mounted near the top and near the rightend on the front side of the base member 1190 onto bar 1135R. The singleclevis joint 1132 is mounted near the top and near the left end on thefront side of the base member 1190 onto bar 1135L. In this embodiment,the clevis joints are welded near the top portion of the bars, same asfor the mounting member 1170. Thus, joint 1132 is near a left side ofthe base member while joints 1134 and 1136 are near a right side of thebase member 1190. Joints 1134 and 1136 are spaced vertically at twicethe vertical offset between joints 1134 and 1132 and the vertical offsetbetween 1136 and 1132. When viewed from either side, 1132 is sandwichedin the middle with 1134 on top and 1136 on the bottom and each joint isspaced at a same vertical offset from each other. Each of these jointswill be rotatably attached to a first end of an arm where a second endof the arm is rotatably connected to the corresponding clevis jointsmounted on the mounting member. It should be noted that the joints 1134and 1136 are vertically aligned, and the horizontal distance betweenjoints 1134 and 1132 and the horizontal distance between joints 1136 and1132 are the same in this embodiment. The ends of the slotted bodies ofthe clevis joints 1134 and 1136 where the pins are used to connect thearms are positioned away from the main body of the base member.Similarly, the slotted body of the clevis joint 1132 where the pin isused to connect the arm is positioned away from the main body of thebase member.

Three (3) bars 1135R, 1135M and 1135L each have slots or holes 1137 onthe bars for attaching the back of the base member 1190 onto the face ofa wall or fixed object. Three (3) bars are used for connection insteadof two because some FPDs are larger and heavier than others and mayrequire the stability of attaching the base member to three studs orother building structures behind a wall rather than two. One shouldappreciate that other embodiments where the one or more bars canslidable horizontally may be used to accommodate studs or buildingstructures behind the wall which are not spaced equally. Furthermore,slots or holes (not shown) on the base member top 1130 and base memberbottom 1140 may be used in addition to the slots and holes on thevertical member for attachment. The bars 1135R, 1135M, and 1135L may, incertain embodiments, be sized and spaced such that they may be attachedto studs or other building members behind a wall; for example, thedistance between the bars may match the standard distance between thestuds so that they overlap and the bars can be attached to the studswith screws or other mechanisms.

Corresponding to the four notches 1181, 1183, 1185 and 1187 on themounting member, four (4) knobs 1182, 1184, 1186 and 1188 are found nearthe top right, bottom right, top left and bottom left portions of thebase member. A knob can be found near each end of base member top 1130and each end of base member bottom 1140.

The mounting member and the base member are connected together by three(3) arms, 1151, 1152 and 1153 of equal length. Arm 1151 is above arm1152, which is above arm 1153. The first end of arm 1151 is rotatablyconnected to the joint 1134 near the top right portion of the basemember 1190, and the second end of arm 1151 is rotatably connected tothe joint 1114 near the top left portion of the mounting member 1170.The first end of arm 1152 is rotatably connected to the joint 1112 nearthe top right portion on the back side of the mounting member 1170, andthe second end of arm 1152 is rotatably connected to the joint 1132 nearthe top left portion of the base member 1190. The first end of arm 1153is rotatably connected to the joint 1136 near the top right portion ofthe base member 1190, and the second end of arm 1153 is rotatablyconnected to the joint 1116 near the top left portion of the mountingmember 1170.

The vertical offset of each arm after they are connected to theirrespective joints are shown in FIGS. 11A-11C of this embodiment. Thisalso shows that the vertical offset between joints 1134, 1132, 1136 onthe base member 1190 is the same as the vertical offset between joints1114, 1112, 1116 on the mounting member 1170. Similarly, the horizontaldistance between 1132 and 1134 and between 1132 and 1136 on the basemember are same as the horizontal distance between 1112 and 1114 andbetween 1112 and 1116. In this embodiment, when the arms are connected,joints 1114 and 1132 are offset by the same vertical distance, as arejoints 1132 and 1116. Similarly, joints 1134 and 1112 are, in thisembodiment, offset by the same vertical distance as the vertical offsetbetween joints 1112 and 1136. Therefore, when connected, the three arms1151, 1152, 1153 are parallel to each other. As described below, infunction, arm 1152 serves to rotate the mounting member 1170 to the leftof base member 1190 while arms 1151 and 1153 serve to rotate themounting member 1170 to the right. One should appreciate that arms 1151and 1153 function in the same way and one of these arms is redundant andserves only to increase the strength of the system.

In this embodiment, instead of using two pairs of hinge system asillustrated in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 6 etc., one pairof hinge system plus an extra hinge is used to pivotally rotate themounting member 1170 and the FPD 1101 in either left or rightdirections. This redundant hinge merely serves to strengthen the systemand does not add to the function already provided by the pair of hinges.To provide stability to the display mounting device, the mounting membertop 1110 and mounting member bottom 1120 are designed in combinationwith base member top 1130 and base member bottom 1140 to providestability to the system via the notches 1181, 1183, 1185, 1187 and theknobs 1182, 1184, 1186, 1188 as explained below.

In FIG. 11A, when the FPD 1101 and the mounting member 1170 is pivotallyrotated towards the left, to counter the weight of the FPD, tension isbuild up on arm 1152 and compression is build up on mounting memberbottom 1120. Note that only arm 1152 moves with the mounting member 1170as mounting member 1170 is rotated, while the other two arms 1151 and1153 stay fixed with the base member 1190 when moving the mountingmember 1170 to the left. In other words, as the weight tends to pull themounting member off the wall, tension builds in arm 1152 connected byjoints 1132 on the base member 1190 and 1112 on mounting member 1170,compression builds on mounting member bottom 1120 to push against basemember bottom 1140 to counter this weight. The notch 1187 on mountingmember bottom 1120 is fitted against knob 1188 near a bottom leftportion of the base member bottom 1140 during rotation or movement tokeep the mounting member bottom 1120 and base member bottom 1140 alignedin position relative to each other during rotation to the left. The knob1188 also should be able to withstand the compression forces that aretranslated from the mounting member bottom 1120 onto the base memberbottom 1140.

Similarly, in FIG. 11B when the FPD 1101 and the mounting member 1170 ispivotally rotated towards the right (as shown in FIG. 11 B), to counterthe weight of the FPD 1101, tension builds up on arms 1151 and 1153 andcompression builds up on mounting member bottom 1120. Note that in thiscase, both arms 1151 and 1153 move along with the mounting member 1170as mounting member 1170 is rotated, while the single arm 1152 staysfixed with the base member 1190 when moving the mounting member 1170 tothe right. In other words, as the weight tends to pull the mountingmember off the wall, tension builds in arm 1151 and 1153 connected byjoints 1134, 1114 on the base member 1190, and 1136, 1116 on mountingmember 1170, compression builds on mounting member bottom 1120 to pushagainst base member bottom 1140 to counter this weight. The notch 1183on mounting member bottom 1120 is fitted against knob 1184 near a bottomright portion of the base member bottom 1140 to keep the mounting memberbottom 1120 and base member bottom 1140 aligned in position relative toeach other during rotation to the right. Again, the knob 1184 alsoshould be able to withstand the compression forces that are translatedfrom the mounting member bottom 1120 onto the base member bottom 1140.

Different ways of balancing of tension and compression forces usingframe members and arm members allow different configurations of thedisplay mounting device using the hinge system as described. In adifferent embodiment, two arms connected by four joints near a top ofthe display mounting device may be used to selectively withstand thetension forces depending on which arm moves with the mounting member,while a mounting member bottom is used to counter compression. Inanother embodiment, one arm each is used to sustain the tension duringrotation towards the left or the right in two pairs of hinges, while themounting member bottom is used to counter the compression when the FPDand mounting member is both rotated to the left or the right. In yetanother embodiment, the reverse may also be possible. One may use amounting member top, which is firmly attached to a hinge joint inconnecting with the base member top for overcoming the tension on theFPD as the mounting member rotates to both left and right, while the twoarm system on the bottom may be used to counter the compression. Anyvariation of the above can be designed as long as a two arm hingedsystem is used while appropriately balancing the tension and compressionforces created by the FPD.

FIG. 11C illustrates a side view of the display mounting device asviewed from the right. The back side of the FPD is attached onto theattachment bars 1115R and 115L on the front side of the mounting member1170. The bars 1115R and 1115L connect the mounting member top 11 10 andthe mounting member bottom 1120. The notch 1181 is seen on the mountingmember top 1110 fitted against the knob 1182 while the notch 1183 isseen on the mounting member bottom 1120 near the knob 1184. This viewfrom the right shows the back of the base member 1190 attached to theface of the wall via bars 1135R, 1135M and 1135L (1135M, 1135L notshown). The bar 1135R, as seen, connects the base member top 1130 andbase member bottom 1140. Joints 1134 and 1136 are seen mounted onto bar1135R. Arms 1151 and 1153 are fitted into the joints 1134 and 1136respectively. Similarly, joint 1112 is mounted onto bar 1115R. Arm 1152is fitted in the joint 1112.

FIGS. 12A to 12C show the two-arm hinged system as described beingapplied to a cabinet door. FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a cabinet.FIG. 12B is a perspective view of a cabinet having its right doorpivotally rotated or opened toward the right with the use of 4 arms and8 hinges in accordance with the hinge system as described. FIG. 12C is aperspective view of a cabinet having its same right door pivotallyrotated or opened toward the left with the use of 4 arms and 8 hinges inaccordance with the hinge system as described.

Similarly, FIGS. 13A to 13C show the two-armed hinged system asdescribed being applied to a door. FIG. 13A is a frontal view of a doorwith the hinge system as described. FIG. 13B is a frontal view of a doorbeing pivotally rotated or opened towards the right with the use of 4arms and 8 hinges in accordance with the hinge system as described. FIG.13C is a frontal view of a door being pivotally rotated or openedtowards the left with the use of 4 arms and 8 hinges in accordance withthe hinge system as described.

Since FIGS. 12A to 12C and 13A to 13C are generally similar includingthe same 4 members and same joint attachments, FIG. 13A to 13C will bedescribed as a general representation of both sets of FIGS. 12 and 13.FIG. 13A shows the frontal view of a door 1310 being mounted in adoorway in a frame having a right member 1313 and 1315 respectively.Each door has four (4) arms 1320, 1340, 1360 and 1380 and eight (8)hinges 1322, 1324, 1342, 1344, 1362, 1364, 1382, 1384 that attaches thedoor to the members 1313 and 1315. As described before, the featureallowing the door to open left and to open right is that two (2) of thefour (4) arms move with the door 1310 when the door 1310 is rotated oropen towards the right, and two (2) remaining different arms move withthe door 1310 when the door 1310 is rotated or open towards the left.This can be seen in FIG. 13B where arms 1340 and 1380 move with the doortoward the left while arms 1320 and 1360 stay fixed in the door frame.Whereas, in FIG. 13C arms 1320 and 1360 move with the door toward theright while arms 1340 and 1380 stays fixed in the door frame.

As shown in FIG. 13B, the hinges 1322 and 1362 attaches the right end ofthe arms 1320 and 1360 respectively to the fixed member 1313 whereas thehinges 1324 and 1364 attaches the left end of the arms 1320, 1360 to theinner surface of the door. These two arms 1320, 1360 and mainly thejoints 1322 and 1362 are responsible for pivoting the door toward theleft, while joints 1324 and 1364 are responsible for fixing the arms1320, 1360 against the door so the arms 1320, 1360 can guide the doorthroughout the movement. Similarly shown in FIG. 13B, the hinges 1344and 1384 attaches the left end of the arms 1340 and 1380 respectively tothe fixed member 1315 whereas the hinges 1342 and 1382 attaches theright end of the arms 1340, 1380 to the inner surface of the door. Thesetwo arms 1340, 1380 and the joints 1344 and 1384 are responsible forpivoting the door toward the right, while joints 1342 and 1382 areresponsible for fixing the arms 1340, 1380 against the door so the arms1340 and 1380 can guide the door throughout the movement.

In applying this hinge system to either the cabinet door or the door, animportant aspect is to ensure that the two arm members which are notmoving with the door is not an obstruction to the opening when the dooris open to either left or right. One application is to use thin armmembers and the thin joints illustrate in FIGS. 7D to 7G for applicationin the display mounting device as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5 etc.The clevis hinge or other types of joint connections and arms may alsobe possible. An improvement to a cabinet door design is that there mayneed to be a fixed member like 1210 in between cabinet doors. Rather,the hinges can be mounted at the top and bottom of the frame with aslight protrusion hanging from the top and standing up from the bottom,thus both increasing the opening to the cabinet as well as allowing easyuser access by opening the door to either direction.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will beapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding theabove description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a base member configured to mount against abase object and having at least two joints for rotatable coupling, afirst joint of the base member near one end of the base member, and asecond joint of the base member near a second end of the base member,the first joint of the base member is positioned at an offset from thesecond joint of the base member so they are not directly aligned; and amounting member configured to mount to a display, having at least twojoints for rotatable coupling, a first joint of the mounting member neara first end of the mounting member and a second joint of the mountingmember near a second end of the mounting member, the first joint of themounting member is positioned at an offset relative to the second jointof the mounting member so they are not directly aligned, and at leasttwo arms, a first arm with one end coupled to the first joint of thebase member and a second end coupled to the first joint of the mountingmember, and a second arm with one end coupled to the second joint of thebase member and a second end coupled to the second joint of the mountingmember.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the base member, themounting member and the arm member may be made of any material includingmetal and metal alloy that may withstand the weight of a display rangingfrom about 20 lb up to about 300 lb mounted on the mounting member. 3.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first arm moves with the mountingmember, while the second arm remains fixed with the base member, whenthe mounting member pivots about a first end of the base member and thesecond arm moves with the mounting member, while the first arm remainsfixed with the base member, when the mounting member pivots about asecond end of the base member.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein theat least two arms are of the same length.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4wherein the two joints on the base member are offset vertically by asame vertical offset as the two joints on the mounting member.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 wherein the two joints on the base member areseparated horizontally along an axis at a same distance as a distancebetween the two joints on the mounting member along a horizontal axis.7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the joints further comprise at leastone of a hinge joint, a clevis pinhole joint, a ball joint, or any typeof joint that allows a rotational movement.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1wherein each of the mounting member and the base member has apredetermined top and bottom.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein thebottom of the base member is configured to have ports or an attachmentto route cables.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the bottom of thebase member or the mounting member is configured to hold at least aremote control of a flat panel television display (FPD).
 11. Theapparatus of claim 8 wherein the top and bottom portions of the mountingmember and the base member are configured to take advantage of spaceavailable between the top portion and bottom portion of a FPD forplacement of the at least two arms so as to minimize distance betweenthe back of the FPD and the wall.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 whereinthe top and bottom portions of the mounting member is configured to havea recess to receive the top and bottom portions of the base memberrespectively.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a base object ismounted to a back side of the base member and a display is mounted onthe front side of the mounting member.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13wherein the joints of the base member are near a top and/or bottomportion of the base member and the joints of the mounting member arenear a top/or bottom portion of the mounting member.
 15. The apparatusof claim 14 wherein the base member has at least 4 points of attachmentto the base object.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the fixedobject is at least one of a wall, a column or a fixed objectsubstantially heavier than a display.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16wherein the display is a flat panel television display (FPD) with ascreen size ranging from about 15″ to about 80″ and weighs from about 20lbs to about 300 lbs.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least4 points of attachment are equally divided to attach against at least 2studs on the wall or the column if the FPD has a screen larger than 32″or weighs heavier than 50 lb.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein atleast 6 points of attachment are equally divided to attach against atleast 3 studs on the wall or the column if the FPD has a screen largerthan 40″ or weighs heavier than 100 lb.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the base member may be mounted onto a slideable track mechanismwhich is mounted onto the base object, the base member and the trackmechanism configured to allow the base member slide on the base objectalong the track.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mountingmember may be attached to a separate member that mounts to the display.22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the separate member is configuredfor translational or rotational movement of the display.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the base member comprises at least two wallattachment portions which are sized and spaced to attach to studs orother building members behind a wall.
 24. An apparatus, comprising: afirst mounting member capable of being mounted to a fixed object; asecond mounting member capable of being mounted to a display; at leasttwo arm members, each arm member having a first end and a second end,wherein, a first end of a first arm member is coupled to a first jointnear a first end of the first mounting member and a second end of thefirst arm member is coupled to a second joint near a second end of thesecond mounting member; and a first end of a second arm member iscoupled to a first joint near a second end of the first mounting memberand a second end of the second arm member is coupled to a second jointnear a first end of the second mounting member.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 24 wherein a first arm member moves with the mounting member,while the second arm member remains fixed with the first mountingmember, when the second mounting member pivots about a first end of thefirst mounting member and a second arm member moves with the secondmounting member, while the first arm member remains fixed with the firstmounting member, when the second mounting member pivots about a secondend of the first mounting member.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25 whereinthe at least two arms are of the same length.
 27. The apparatus of claim26 wherein each of the base member, the mounting member and the armmember may be made of any material including metal and metal alloy thatmay withstand the weight of a display ranging from about 20 lb up toabout 300 lb mounted on the mounting member.
 28. The apparatus of claim24 wherein each of the mounting member and the base member has apredetermined top and bottom.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein thebottom of the base member or is configured to have ports or anattachment to route cables.
 30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein thebottom of the base member or the mounting member is configured to holdat least a remote control of a flat panel television display (FPD). 31.The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the top and bottom portions of themounting member and the base member are configured to take advantage ofspace available between the top portion and bottom portion of a FPD forplacement of the at least two arms so as to minimize distance betweenthe back of the FPD and the wall.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31 whereinthe top and bottom portions of the mounting member is configured to havea recess to receive the top and bottom portions of the base memberrespectively.
 33. An apparatus, comprising: means for fixing a firstmounting member onto a fixed object; means for fixing a display onto asecond mounting member; means for rotatably coupling the first mountingmember to the second mounting member by at least two arm members,wherein the second mounting member is positioned directly over the firstmounting member in a neutral position, the second mounting member and afirst arm member are further configured to pivot about a first end ofthe first mounting member from the neutral position and the secondmounting member and a second arm member are configured to pivot about asecond end of the first mounting member from the neutral position. 34.The apparatus of claim 33 wherein a first arm member moves with themounting member when the mounting member pivots about a first end of thebase member and a second arm member moves with the mounting member whenthe mounting member pivots about a second end of the base member. 35.The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the at least two arms are of the samelength.
 36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the two joints on the basemember are offset vertically by a same vertical offset as the two jointson the mounting member.
 37. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the twojoints on the base member are separated horizontally along an axis at asame distance as a distance between the two joints on the mountingmember along a horizontal axis.
 38. The apparatus of claim 33 whereineach of the mounting member and the base member has a predetermined topand bottom.
 39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the bottom of the basemember or is configured to have ports or an attachment to route cables.40. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein the bottom of the base member orthe mounting member is configured to hold at least a remote control of aflat panel television display (FPD).
 41. The apparatus of claim 38wherein the top and bottom portions of the mounting member and the basemember are configured to take advantage of space available between thetop portion and bottom portion of a FPD for placement of the at leasttwo arms so as to minimize distance between the back of the FPD and thewall.
 42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the top and bottom portionsof the mounting member is configured to have a recess to receive the topand bottom portions of the base member respectively.
 43. An apparatuscomprising: a first mounting member configured to mount against a fixedobject on a back side, the first mounting member having two joints, eachof the two joints are placed near an opposite end of the first mountingmember at an offset apart; a second mounting member configured to mountagainst a display on a front side, the second mounting member having twojoints, each of the two joints are placed near an opposite end of thesecond mounting member at an offset apart; and at least two arms, eacharm having a first end and a second end, each of the at least two armscoupling one joint on the second mounting member to one joint on thefirst mounting member, wherein the second mounting member overlaps thefirst mounting member in a neutral position and the second mountingmember and a first arm is configured to rotate about a first end of thefirst mounting member, and the second mounting member and a second armis configured to rotate about a second end of the second mountingmember.
 44. The apparatus of claim 43 wherein each of the mountingmember and the base member has a predetermined top and bottom.
 45. Theapparatus of claim 44 wherein the bottom of the base member or isconfigured to have ports or an attachment to route cables.
 46. Theapparatus of claim 44 wherein the bottom of the base member or themounting member is configured to hold at least a remote control of aflat panel television display (FPD).
 47. The apparatus of claim 44wherein the top and bottom portions of the mounting member and the basemember are configured to take advantage of space available between thetop portion and bottom portion of a FPD for placement of the at leasttwo arms so as to minimize distance between the back of the FPD and thewall.
 48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein the top and bottom portionsof the mounting member is configured to have a recess to receive the topand bottom portions of the base member respectively.
 49. An apparatus,comprising: a base member with at least two joints for rotatablecoupling, a first joint near a first end of the base member, and asecond joint near a second end of the base member; a mounting memberwith at least two joints for rotatable coupling, a first joint near afirst end of the mounting member and a second joint near a second end ofthe mounting member; and at least two arm members, a first arm memberwith a first end coupled to the first joint of the base member and asecond end coupled to the first joint of the mounting member, and asecond arm with a first end coupled to the second joint of the basemember and a second end coupled to the second joint of the mountingmember.
 50. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein a first arm member moveswith the mounting member when the mounting member pivots about a firstend of the base member and a second arm member moves with the mountingmember when the mounting member pivots about a second end of the basemember.
 51. The apparatus of claim 50 wherein the at least two arms areof the same length.
 52. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein the two jointson the base member are offset vertically by a same vertical offset asthe two joints on the mounting member.
 53. The apparatus of claim 52wherein the two joints on the base member are separated horizontallyalong an axis at a same distance as a distance between the two joints onthe mounting member along a horizontal axis.
 54. The apparatus of claim49 wherein the base member is at least a portion of a door frame and themounting member is a door.